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Carpenter Ant Guide For St. Charles Homeowners


April 15, 2022

Some pests go above and beyond to cause problems for homeowners, and carpenter ants in St. Charles are prime examples of this fact. Not only do they form large colonies, but also they cause severe property damage thanks to their habit of tunneling through wood given enough time.

Don't wait if you suspect carpenter ants in your home. Reach out for St. Charles pest control services from experienced professionals like the ones at Pest Control Consultants to help you eliminate them.

a carpenter ant crawling on wood

Identifying Carpenter Ants

In general, black carpenter ants in your home vary in size, but the average is 5/8 of an inch in length. Dull black or red coloring can further identify this species of ant. In addition, they possess a rounded thorax and single petiole.

While they look similar to other ant species, it's essential to make a note of where you've seen the ant. Ants near your foundation or wood sources are much more likely to be black carpenter ants in your home than any other species.

What Attracts Carpenter Ants

Now that you know what to look for, it's important to understand what attracts carpenter ants in St. Charles to your home.

Some common attraction factors include, but aren't limited to:

  • Moisture: Carpenter ants depend on moisture being present to thrive. Whether it's standing water or waterlogged wood, you're attracting carpenter ants and other pests the longer it's around.
  • Food: Despite their wood tunneling habits, they don't eat wood as termites do. Instead, they seek protein and sugar sources like other ant species. As such, if you leave food or sugary substances unattended near or in your home, you could attract carpenter ants.
  • Debris piles: Any woodpiles, especially contaminated wood, near or inside your home is the equivalent of a beacon for carpenter ants to invade if they haven't already.

Fortunately, these factors are easy to stay on top of, making it possible to prevent an infestation altogether. In addition, it's vital to seal any potential entry points and trim back branches and shrubbery from your home to prevent carpenter ants in trees in your yard.

How To Spot Carpenter Ant Damage

At this point, you might be wondering about the signs of carpenter ants.

Fortunately, we have the answers you need listed below:

  • Carpenter ant sighting: If you see a carpenter ant, you have an infestation, and the damage is definitely from carpenter ants.
  • Small openings on wood surfaces: These holes will be smooth in appearance and free of debris.
  • Piles of wood shavings/sawdust: These piles are found beneath wooden areas like baseboards near the small openings mentioned previously.

If you notice any of these signs of carpenter ants, including carpenter ants in trees in your yard, don't wait to seek professional assistance. You may have a carpenter ant infestation or other pest problem. Get ahead of the issue before you incur costly damage to your home.

How To Get Rid Of Carpenter Ants

Sadly, carpenter ant prevention is much easier than carpenter ant control for homeowners. The only viable solution to get rid of carpenter ants is to seek professional assistance. While you can try using carpenter ant spray, the truth is that carpenter ant spray doesn't work beyond killing an ant here or there.

At Pest Control Consultants, we've provided quality home pest control in St. Charles and the surrounding area since 2000, including for termites.

With our Integrated Pest Management (IPM) techniques plus ongoing education in pest control, our team is prepared to address every aspect of your termite problem from start to finish. This ensures we get rid of carpenter ants for you quickly and efficiently.

Are you in need of carpenter ant control services? Then give our service technicians at Pest Control Consultants a call to discuss your residential and commercial carpenter ant control options or fill out our online form to schedule your free inspection.

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